Church · Nakipari, Mestia Municipality, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
Nakipari St George Church
ნაკიფარის წმინდა გიორგის ეკლესია · Nakipari church · Jgrag
A small hall church on a hill above the hamlet of Nakipari in Upper Svaneti, painted inside in 1130 by the royal painter Tevdore, with frescoes and animal reliefs on its east façade.
Where it is
43.0106, 42.8189
Why go
Most churches in Svaneti are plain outside; this one is not. Its east front carries painted panels and carved beasts in relief within a framing arcade. Inside, the apse conch shows the Deesis, the north wall a procession of holy knights, and much of the rest the life and torments of Saint George, the patron, known in Svan as Jgrag. An inscription records that local nobles commissioned the paintings. The church stands in a village cemetery ringed by a half-ruined stone wall. It suits travellers staying in Mestia who care about medieval painting.
Near Nakipari St George Church
Lake
Koruldi Lakes
A group of small alpine lakes at about 2,850 metres on the slopes above Mestia, looking across the Enguri valley to Ushba, Tetnuldi, Shkhara and Laila.
13 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Church
Ienashi Church of the Prophet Jonah
A stone church in the Svan village of Ienashi, nine kilometres from Mestia, with an aisle wrapped round three sides of the nave and 14th-century wall paintings that include Jonah escaping the whale.
15 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Waterfall
Shdugra Waterfall
A waterfall of almost 120 metres on a right-bank tributary of the Dolra above Mazeri in Svaneti's Becho valley, also known as the Ushba Waterfall.
22 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Spring
Lailashi Secret Pool
A spring-fed stone pool on a mountainside in Lechkhumi, built by Lailashi's Jewish community and looking out over the Lajanuri valley.
45 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ